24 Book ll. Chap.• .sea:;·~ z. For the time of this generation, it bath neither beginning, middle nor e;,d d therefore it is _eternal before all worlds: this is one of rhe wonders of ou~ Jefia, th;t~~e Father begemng, and the Son begotten, are coeternal. Wifdom m the book of Pr .. b ( which with one confent of all Divines is faid to be Chrift) affirmeth rhus When tn;;; s P~ov.S q,zs w.u no depths I WM brought forth, When there were no foumains a6ounding tvi;h water t ~re 2 ' 27· fore the Mountaim were Jet led, befrrre the J:ills WM, I wa'' brought forth; whi-le M )'Ct h~ h:J not made the earth, nor the field;, nonhe htghejf part of the dujl of the world; when he pre– pared the heavens iwa& there, when he [et a compa(s uponthefaceofthedepth, Iwa; there, Prov.S.n,z3 And a ]mle before, the Lord pojfeffidmew the beginning of hu way, before his work! ofold Pfal.2. 7· A(b 13· 32, 33· 1 wa& fee up from everlajlmg, from the beginning, or ever the world was, rhat is to fay: from erermty; for before the world was made, there was nothmg but e~erniry. It ma, be alleadged to rhe contrary, that the faying of God .rhe Father,. thou art my Son, thi day have I begotten thee, IS expounded by Paul of the ttme of Clmfts refurretlion. .And we declare untoyou gtadtydtrlgs ( fatth•Patti) how that the promife which was made unto the fathers, G'od_ hmh fulfilled. the fame unto us their children, in that he hath raifed up Jcjiu a(tttn, as It tsalfowr_menm~he fecond Pfal'!', thou art my Son,. this day havelbegorte;: thee. But we dtftmgutflt betWIXt ger.eran~n 1t felf, and rbe mamfdlation or declaration of lt. Jefusthe Son of God from alletermJy was begotten; but when he was incarnate and efpecially when he was raifed again fro'm the dead, then was ~e mightily declared t~ be Gods Son by natUI'e. And ofthis declaration or manifell ation of his mrnal generation is that. of the Apofileunderfiood. 3. Forthe manner of this generation of Jefus the Son of God, underf\and, there be two manners of begetting; rhe one is carnal, ar.d outward, and this is fubject to cor· ruption, alteration, and time; rhe other is fpiritual, and inward, and fuch was the be– ginning of the Son of God, of whofr 3eneration there is neither corruption, alreratiqn, 1ra.;;.s. nor time. But alas! how ~tOitld n•c:iecl.l>'thisgcneration? Omyfoul, here thou mayifi l\om,n.33· admire, and adore wirh Ptmland D.wir!, ~nd cry out, 0 the depths of the ricbes both of the wifdomandkzJOwiedgeof God! how llll{ea>"chable are his judgements, and ht5 ways pajl finding out ? There is no fearching for us into the fecrer counfels of God, wbich he nerrr revealed in his Word ; but fo far as he Lath revealed himfelf, we fliall in fobriery accord– ing to the light of the Scriptures, endeavcur a difcovery of the manner of this fpiritual ge.. neration ofrhe Son of God: as rhus, -- We mull confider in God two things, L That in,. God there is an underfial!ding. 2. Tharin God tl1is under!hnding everla!lingly aclfs or w9rks. J:or the firfl, that,Cod bath a mofiex~ellenr underfianaing , or that he is under/landing it felfin the highell degree, is very clear;' for he rhat gives underftanding to all his in– telligible creatures, mull: needs have it, and be it moll eminently in himfelf: if fire be the caufe of hear in other things, it muft ne.ds be, that fire is the hottell of any thing; ~Prow~ quod* the axiorrieiscomm-on, but the Scripture verifies it, with God iowifdomand jire"!,th, ~;~~·:~:;JJ."~ hehath cottnfel and Jtmitrjlanding. Nay, ·that this un~e~·ila~ding is his very being is very m;,•srJie. plarn, Co~tnfel is mine, andfoundwifdom; I am nndcrjlan~ing, ard I am ftrength. Job u.rJ. For the fecond, tlw rhis underllandino in God everla!lingly acts or works, is very l'rov, S· 1 4· clear; for that underllanding (which is"rhe nature, elfe'nce, and beit:~ of God )is_a meer ac't,, or the firll act ; it is all one with the!ife of Gild; now as all lite ts acllve l!llt fdf, fo ·rhe chief life ( fuch as in the his)1efr degree js to be attributed to God ) mufr needspe a(live; w/llt is rhe life of God, but an effemial property, whereby the D>– vine natme is in perpemal'action, living and movingin itfelf? and hereof IS that fpeech Jrr. 4· ,, in Scripture fo often ufed, the Lord /iveth; hereof hkewtfe IS that affeveranon or oath fa Jcr. ,s. 16. ofte11 ufed by God, ay (he Lord /iverh, and ,As I live. (aith the Lord; well then, theun' Nu n>b. 14·' • derGanding of God bein'g a<'live, or 1vorking from aif cternHy, It muft needs have fome l\um. 1 ~· >r. eternal object on wbid1 it acts _or works; every action, u quires a (~table object,_ about which it mull act or be exewfed: fo rhen tf Gods um.erftandmg act eternally, It mull have fome eternal objec't, and if Gods underllJnd_ing, act moft per~'ectly , it nn~fl ha.re fome mofi perfect object to act upon; and what IS t ar but onely God lumfelf ? tl.ar Gods underllanding fhould act our ofhimfelf, would ar~ue Ius underlhndmg to ad upon tharwhjch is finite and imperfect : Certamly nothmg IS mfin~re, eternal. and _redec'l: bm onely himfclf, and therefore if!lis umlerftanding will a'd upon any futable o~;ed, he mull act upon nothing bur himfdf. . .. , . . . . And now we come to the manner of thtshtgh, my Ureal, fpmrual generation of Jefus the $en Of God. As rhe under!\andino of 'God doth 1ct and refleCt upon rt felt from all o ~:rernay',.
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